Google's latest app YouTube Go, aims to make it easier for those with limited connectivity to watch videos offline.
YouTube Go will initially launch in India, and according to the company, its team has travelled the country to better understand its peoples' requirements.
But while the app will head to the Asian subcontinent first, the advantages for Africa and other data-stretched lands are clear to see.
YouTube Go will allow users to save videos for offline viewing, while allowing them to choose the video quality and file size. It effectively means that YouTube is now a portable, offline video repository.
YouTube Go is...

Google is the king of search and it's now bringing its skills to Google Drive. In a new update, Google Drive is getting faster search functionality, complete with New Language Processing (NLP) capabilities.
Announcing the update, Josh Smith, Product Manager at Google Drive, pointed out that the engineering of Google Search is coming to Google Drive.
"Innovation is critical for business success, so we're constantly trying to build tools that enable our customers to do more," Smith said.
The update is being rolled out today and will allow Google Drive users to make use of the new search feature and its NLP capabilities. The...

It's been a busy work for Google. The company launched Google Trips and announced the launch of Google Allo, its messaging app. And now it has announced that Google Photos is receiving an update.
The update will see Google Photos deliver all-new movies and a faster way to share photos and videos.
Now users can simply pick the photo that they want to share and select the people they want to share the photo with - no need to select a third-party app. The new update, according to Google, is ultimately to reduce the time users spend toggling from one app to another...

In Apple's bid to show off the features of the iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2, the Cupertino-based tech giant has released three adverts highlighting the features of the devices.
There's something that the company's getting right with these adverts: not only do they showcase the devices' features, but they also show pure human resilience and beautiful cinematography.
The three adverts focus on the iPhone 7's low aperture camera qualities, and the IP67 water resistance on both the iPhone 7 and Watch Series 2.
Apple's iPhone 7 and Watch Series 2 now boast water resistance ratings, unlike previous generations
The first ad,...

YouTube is now going beyond being a video-sharing platform and is implementing a community tab that is meant to strengthen the bond between creators and their viewers. The feature is currently in beta but the company hopes that in the coming months it will be launched to a wider community.
"You've grown up together, laughed together, and done incredible things together, from shifting attitudes about gay rights to volunteering millions of dollars toward important charitable causes," YouTube says.
Up until now, viewers could only interact with YouTubers on the comments section which we all know is a haven for abuse. With the community...

In one way or another, Facebook users had to deal with News Feed. Be it a scorned or a pleasant interaction, one doesn't have much choice in the matter. It seems like yesterday that the News Feed was a contentious issue amongst Facebook users but time flies and the feature is now 10 years old.
One cannot, at least now, think of the social network and not think of News Feed but the feature hasn't always been there. For more than two years in fact, Facebook had no News Feed, just friends' profiles. Zuckerberg admitted on his Facebook profile that the feature wasn't...

All efforts in business are ultimately to retain existing customers and attract new ones. This is exactly what is at the heart of Pinterest's new targeting updates. Announced today, the social network has introduced new ways for brands to reach potential customers that are ready to make a purchase.
The new system will allow businesses to target consumers based on engagements with brands on Pinterest. The update further expands how businesses can target people who visit their website.
Brands can also retarget users. For instance, if a user interacts with the brand's pin about snack ideas, businesses can retarget that user...

Google Crowdsource is the company's latest app that harnesses the power of the people. It aims to leverage user input to test, and improve, various Google services.
The app sneakily appeared on the Google Play Store this week without much fanfare, and allows users to effectively become unofficial Google employees. The app provides users with tasks, which includes image transcription, handwriting recognition, translations and validation of said translations, and Maps.
Google Crowdsource is a new app that turns you into an unofficial employee
These tasks last anything from five to ten minutes.
This is not the first time that Google has ventured into...

Google Maps' latest update now allows users to get a more up to date sense of what's happening in their surrounding areas. It also brings a few UI improvements.
To achieve a cleaner look, the company has gone for a more subtle and balanced colour scheme and removed unwanted elements like road outlines. The new look, according to the company, allows users to see helpful and actionable information like traffic and transit a lot clearer.
"We’ve improved the typography of street names, points of interest, transit stations, and more to make them more distinguishable from other things on the map, helping...

Welcome to Weekly Roundup, our podcast discussing the latest tech trends, innovation, and news from the last few days.
This week Hadlee Simons and Andy Walker talk all things Gear.
The two discuss the rumours about an iPhone Pro with a dual camera, a Xiaomi with a dual camera, Apple dropping its 16GB storage version on its smartphones, Xbox One S launch, Pokemon Go's altruistic and selfish side-effects.
What are we watching, reading, playing: Both Andy and Hadlee are still playing the same games they were last week. Hadlee has also been on a hunt for podcasts.
Tweet of the Week: Melania Trump's...

Facebook Messenger has hit the one-billion monthly active user milestone, just two months after reaching 900-million monthly active users. The announcement sees two Facebook-owned apps (the other being WhatsApp) achieve this user milestone.
Facebook has revealed that more than 17-billion photos are shared every month via Messenger, more than 22-million animated GIFs are sent a day, and during Mother's Day, users sent about 300-million flower stickers.
Facebook has been investing heavily on Messenger not only as a messaging platform between friends, but between users and businesses. The company claims that over one-billion messages are now shared between users and companies every...

Twitter has announced that anyone can now apply to have their Twitter account verified. Prior to this, users had to be famous and wield influence in specific fields to have this honour bestowed on them. There was also no way to apply for verification.
While users can now apply, Twitter does not guarantee approval. The account, according to the company, will only be verified if it is determined to be of public interest.
To request an account to be verified, users need to fill out a form and provide a verified phone number, confirmed email address, bio, profile photo, header photo,...

Facebook has released its latest batch of diversity data to shed light on the race and gender demographic of its workforce.
Facebook has been avidly driving diversity in the tech space with the likes of its TechPrep programme launched in 2015.
Diversity in the technology space has seen a more acute focus of late, especially since Pinterest hired a head of diversity in January 2016. The move signalled a new era for diversity in tech where companies were taking diversity seriously and initiating programs to address it.
Even with these programmes in place and the notable focus of inclusivity in the tech...

American software company Adobe has announced major updates to its Adobe Lightroom app for both Android and iOS.
Users on iOS are finally getting RAW photo editing support, while Android users will receive a new camera mode.
Back in February 2015, Android users first received RAW photo editing which marked an important change for the app. Smartphones are being built to take more detailed images, and retaining this quality after editing has become important. This is where the RAW format comes into play.
The Adobe Lightroom app also supports the same RAW files on Lightroom for desktop, which means that users can...

Data from Facebook reveals that Euro 2016 in France was one of the most talked about sporting events in history. The tournament which began on 10 June and ended on 10 July 2016 saw 195-million users involved in 950-million interactions.
During the final, which was played on 10 July 2016, Facebook saw about 45-million users taking part in 146-million interactions.
Globally, the key moments included Ronaldo lifting the trophy at the end of the match, the winning goal scored by Eder, the final whistle, and Ronaldo's injury.
Read more: Facebook Messenger gains WhatsApp-like encrypted chat
The top five most discussed players around the...